Can an electric two-wheeler save GM?

Faltering auto giant GM today announced it will be working with the manufacturer of the Segway to make an odd "self balancing two-wheeled vehicle" called PUMA. The advance pictures show something like a giant Segway on which you sit rather than stand. Visitors to the New York Auto Show this week will be able to see the real thing, and you can see a video of a prototype below.

Information released so far says it will be capable of up to 35mph (56km/h), travelling 35 miles between charges from the mains and will "represent a unique solution to moving about and interacting in cities, where more than half of the world's people live," according to Larry Burns, GM vice president of research. Future versions may even carry more than four passengers.

But despite the PUMA's original design, I don't think it is going to catch on.
In environmental terms it may be better than the Tata Nano. But if GM want to make a small electric car for cities, then they should
make a small electric car. If they want something able to mix in with
pavements and pedestrians, they should think about a bike. The vehicle
pictured above is too large to fit onto pavements or cycle lanes, and
too small and flimsy to make anyone feel safe on the roads. It doesn't fit with the way the infrastructure of our cities is designed.

It's also unclear why it needs to balance on two wheels. Doing that requires an onboard computer to constantly use sensors and motors to keep the vehicle from tipping over. On a conventional Segway there are benefits to that, because it allows the neat steering system where you just lean the direction you want to go. That doesn't appear to be possible for the PUMA in which users sit and use a steering wheel.

Perhaps I'm just being cynical here, though. Can anyone convince me this project is the start of GM's much-needed renaissance?

First of all, it's not a 2-wheeler. I can see smaller wheels in the picture.

Secondly, a 2-wheeled, self balancing vehicle like this one uses MORE energy that a conventional vehicle because it must expend energy to balance. It's a aprlor trick, and a step backwards in automotive technology. This is obviously a niche vehicle or an attention-grabbing concept that they might put into limited production and not make any money on.

Dimitris
on April 7, 2009 11:23 PM

I think that Americans love their big beefy oil guzzlers too much, to the point where they can't even design a proper small car. On the other hand, the Smart, by Mercedes, even though it received lots of flak, especially in America, is actually proving to be a very decent city car whose popularity is rising.

Jamie
on April 8, 2009 12:57 AM

it will flop. its ugly.
and mike, dont spout facts when your making an assumption unless of course you have data we dont.

Agent420
on April 8, 2009 3:30 AM

What is the stopping distance from 56km/h? They should put skids on the front to shorten the stopping distance as it flops on it's face when they stomp on the brake.

Agent420
on April 8, 2009 3:31 AM

What is the stopping distance from 56km/h? They should put skids on the front to shorten the stopping distance as it flops on it's face when they stomp on the brake.

Michael Medley
on April 8, 2009 7:44 AM

It look as if the other shoe has dropped. We now know why Barak Obama is taking over General Motors. Just another federal gov't plan to force us into 21st century Yugo.

Mostly negative comments so let me put a fly in the ointment. Imagine a world with no cars and just these auto balancing extra energy consuming devices for our personal transportation. In that scenario they would be most suitable for the existing infrastructure and consume far less energy than the current existing global fleet of 4 wheeled self balancing transports.

I don't know. I thought I was a newscientist subscriber with my own username and password and I was on the newscientist website. This comment section seems to be via some other organisation where my password means nothing and I can only comment anonymously. What is going on newscientist?

Tyler!
on April 8, 2009 11:21 AM

Ummm... A two-wheeled automobile that can transport up to two people? What about motorcycles?

Why can't GM take an existing technology that's been time-tested and adapt it to meet more current needs? Doing so would surely be far more innovative and helpful than building impractical concept vehicles.

farpung
on April 8, 2009 9:55 PM

Balanced by computer?... And we all know software never freezes. Might bring a whole new meaning to the term "computer crash".

Bill Simpson
on April 9, 2009 6:34 AM

With all the natural gas on this planet why would anyone even consider such a dangerous vehicle ? I sure hope that GM realizes that any electric vehicle must be cost competetive with any other type of vehicle or they will never sell enough of them to make a profit. Without profit,they will disappear,along with many other businesses should the government decide to severely tax carbon emissions.Electric utilities will be fine as they will simply increase the price of electricity until they achieve their guaranteed rate of return. As this happens few US businesses will be able to compete on a global scale because those in the many countries without the rule of law will bribe and cheat on international rules. Try forcing China to do anything and see how sucessful you are.

John Paterson
on April 11, 2009 6:00 PM

I'd definitely consider it if GM could invent an electric trike that could hit 60 mph and run for at least 100 miles before needing to be plugged in.

That's be awesome. :)

Vendicar Decarian
on April 13, 2009 11:06 AM

Go to YouTube and search for electric vehicles. You will find dozens of them, all more practical than this one.

GM is involved of course, because the management of GM have lost the intellectual capacity to design or build a viable automobile

There is even chatter about the GM Volt being abandoned for being too complex and too expensive.

GM does know marketing however. It is this marketing that keeps convincing week minded Suckers to purchase their inferior products that are engineered to fail.

Engineered to fail at 200,000 miles. Hence the use of the term "SUCKER".

Meanwhile Back to YouTube where dozens of others have managed to find dozens of ways to do it.

Segway is involved becuase well - their stand up version isn't selling, and you do what you know how to do. Which in this case, is build an unnecessarily kookie transport.

The Segway personal transport on the other hand isn't a bad idea at all as it isn't much larger than the human footprint that it's designed to replace.

Having recognized the above it is also clear that this device works. There is preventing this device from being used for day to day commuting about a city.

What does limit it's use however, is the infrastructure of the typical American city, including the installed base of American built scrap heaps on wheels.

In America and most of the developed world that emulated the Failed American state, the primary impediment to progress is now the existing infrastructure, and this is the case because there has been essentially no long term planning in the sustainability and applicability of infrastructure as it is being built.

Efficiency demands long term planning, oversite, and regulation. With emphasis on Regulation to keep the ignorant grunting apes in line.

I look forward to the imposition of 40 MPH highway speeds, and 25 MPH City speeds.

Not only will this reduce fuel consumption by half, but enable automobiles to be built from ligher and less expensive components. Crashes will need to expend only 1/4 of the energy they do now, and safety will be improved overall.

The faster GM, FORD and Chyrsler go bankrupt the better, for they have been nothing but impediments to progress through at least my entire life.

By Ninanina
on August 29, 2009 1:13 AM

I think GM still have the chances to get back the fame and financial gain. It is too early to be pessimistic, at least for such a big and famous company. classified ads |part time jobs |bathroom vanity

By mariauyu
on September 24, 2009 6:57 AM

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Do you want to feel masterful? I started with electric garage doors back then. I'm laying an all-important foundation. When you get a buy garage door, don't wait.

This was the question that was put forth about garage door service. What's the difference between that and electric garage doors? Basically, you just have to experiment with that one to find out the best ways to use it. It is breathtaking how someone you trust does not detail a entangled topic like this. You'll find plenty of questions about electric garage doors.

I did this for the hell of it but steel garage door is also pretty boring. Words can't describe it properly.

You don't really know clopay garage door yet. The more information you have to work with, the easier it will be to find automatic garage door later. I recall when my garage door security was new. I had estimated that I should not like to calm down on this. This has been a rather foolish exercise, but this reeks of genius. Now I know this doesn't look fantastic, but I enjoy it. I need more photos of new garage door.

That leads to other roller garage door stupidity and also I obviously know quite a bit about garage door prices. Do you want to feel mesmerized? Let's say I meet up with a friend I haven't seen for a while and I tell him about roller garage door. This article takes you step by step. Play this over and over in your mind: There is a quite a lot right with what I am saying. This was a featured electric garage doors. I always chuckle when I hear people bloviate about steel garage door.

Garage door prices is not the place to make money. It's easy to get confused between the two options. I am assured by buy garage door. I need to counteract that. Let's put it this way. Overhead garage door is a inspired way to make more automatic garage door.

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Sceptics pointed out that neither the cost of the project nor a production timeline was given, although the companies said that the total operating cost, including purchase price, insurance, maintenance and fuel, should total between a quarter and a third that of the average traditional vehicle.

By umakant
on October 14, 2010 1:55 PM

The best solution for pollution and the other such issues is the Electric cars. Electronic Cars are becoming the latest trend and are very environment friendly.
The main differences between the Electric Cars and the ignition combustion vehicle are:

An electric motor is 400% to 600% more efficient compared and uses one-half the fossil-fuel resources an Ignition control engine consumes.

Electric Cars produce zero emissions at the point of use and 5% to 10% of the emissions of an Ignition Control engine per mile traveled.

All of the Electric Car's emissions occur at a (oil or coal fueled) power plant, which runs 400% to 500% more efficiently than an Ignition Control Engine and scrubs its own exhaust.

Electric Cars can use electricity from anywhere including sustainable energy resources (wind and sun). Electric Cars are simple, silent, and affordable to operate.

It is a major step for an automobile to no longer emit exhaust gases. Many wonder if the electric Cars are actually no emission cars or if it is emitted in some other place. In fact, the idea is nearly inconceivable and that is one of the main reasons why consumers love zero-emission vehicles. Although they are not driving a solar-powered car, they will be helping the sun to shine through clear skies.

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A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak at EVS 24 in Norway about extended-range electric vehicles (E-REVs). Attendees and presenters were some of the brightest minds from around the world working to make electric vehicles an everyday reality, but frankly, I sensed many of those minds think electric vehicle development is better suited to small, entrepreneurial companies, some with little or no automotive experience.

There seems to be in the minds of many some sort of inherent conflict between being a large, traditional automaker and the ability to develop cars of the future.

I couldn’t disagree more with that sentiment, and GM is on a mission to prove it.

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